Easy Appetizers To Impress Your Holiday Guests

by Z Living Kitchen

Varied Selections & Varied Effects
One of the best ways to keep your guests relaxed is by offering them appetizers. These are light foods or snacks, which can be served hot or cold depending (or not) upon the weather. Easy appetizers can stimulate the appetite. They can create anticipation for what you have already cooked. And they should make it easy for you to impress your guests, while spending only a few minutes on preparation.

Benefits
There are many benefits to serving your visitors appetizers prior to offering the main course. Appetizers are known to act as an icebreaker before the main food is served. They can provide a conversation piece to those who are meeting each other first time. Easy appetizers can also serve to buy the host time – occupying your guest while you take care of last minute prep. If you are having a dinner party, it can be tempting to buy store bought hors d’oeuvres. Easy appetizers should make it easy for you to serve something homemade and fresh. Ideally, they should either have five ingredients or less, take 10 minutes to make or have convenient make-ahead or freezer options.

Examples Of Easy Appetizers
While there are dozens of appetizer recipes out there, Z living,s guide focuses on things that are quick to prepare, nutritious and delicious. Below are tried and tested recipes, which you may consider next time you host a party.

Basil and Goat Skewers: To prepare this kind of appetizer, you should thoroughly wash the basil leaves. Add a thick slice of goat cheese and half a cherry tomato to a wooden skewer.

Crab Rangoon: This is one of the classic appetizers to be found at many parties and entertainment clubs. All that is needed to prepare Crab Rangoon appetizers is to put a heaping tablespoon of creamed crab on your favorite pastry dough. Deep-fry the crab and pastry compilation for a mouth-watering appetizer for your lucky guests.

Bruschetta: This is another kind of appetizer, which is quite easy to prepare. It is prepared by first chopping and adding together fresh tomatoes and basil leaves. Add olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper into the mixture and put it all in a small bowl. Allow it to set for thirty minutes before adding it to small pieces of toasted French loaf, ready to serve.

Tomato and bocconcini balls: Halve cherry tomatoes. Then thread one onto a short wooden skewer and add a small bocconcini balls, followed by another cherry tomato half. Set out a small bowl of balsamic vinegar mixed with extra-virgin olive oil for dipping.

Melon and Prosciutto: Wrap thin slices of prosciutto around a one-inch cube of melon. Thread onto a wooden skewer and serve.

Guacamole and tortilla chips: Mash together two ripe avocados. Finely chop two tomatoes, and two tablespoons of cilantro. Add the juice of a lemon, a crushed clove of garlic, and a finely chopped jalapeno pepper and a dash of salt. Mix together to make the guacamole. Serve with tortilla chips.

A Few Words Of Caution

If using garlic, onion or pesto in your appetizer, remember that these aromas and tastes can be very pungent, so its best to chose a main course accordingly.

If cooking anything new, try and make time to make a few samples before the dinner party, as your cooking skills will undoubtedly improve once you’ve cooked a few.

With bread, especially French loaf, make sure that you buy it on the day of the party to make sure that it’s ultra fresh and not stale.

If you are making seafood, make sure that you buy it from a reputable supplier – you don’t want to give your guests food poisoning!

Ask if you’re guests have any dietary restrictions before preparing the meal — e.g. vegetarian, lactose free – and moderate the appetizers as needed, as you want as many people to be able to fully enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Appetizers can prove beneficial to the creation of appetite as well as a great atmosphere. Ideally try and make several appetizer dishes beforehand, so that guests can nibble as they slowly arrive. Remember that if you don’t use many spices, the quality of the dish will depend on the quality of your ingredients, so if you want to go the extra mile, try and get the best out there and splurge. If you can, opt for fresh rather than frozen seafood, since the frozen can be rubbery without being tenderized by cooking for a while in a stew or soup. And always factor in an extra hour into the recommended preparation time – this will give you time for mistakes or just to clean up.